lets set the world on fire
by safeandsound13
Summary: Okay, so he doesn't know what the actual frick he's doing, but he figured 'fake it until you make it' could be like, his catchphrase thing, you know. / Or, season 5 with Finn. AU. Mainly Finn and old/new New Directions, but includes other relationships i.e. Finn/Rachel.


**(a/n hi y'all promise i didnt forget about all my stories or my precious glee fandom, in the famous santana lopez' words 'never'.**

**so basically this is an multichap AU (or not) in which i recreate s5 only this time with finn, aka how glee was supposed to go IMO. these are all my ideas so i dont know if anyone will like them but i thought why not post it in case anyone does. it's mainly finn + new directions / friendships but im working towards an epic finchel reunion ofc and it'll follow all the main storylines in s5 probably.**

**i hope you guys like it, this is just the first three episodes and basically just begins where s4 left off but i'd love to write more. hmu if you have any suggestions for future chapters:)**

**DONT FORGET TO REVIEW PLS im thirsty like always ! some things never change**

**i do not own any of these songs, pm if an artist or title is missing and you want to know, song in the title is we are young from fun.)**

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Who doesn't love weddings, man? Especially ones that happen out of nowhere, with good music and have lots of festive foods after (Breadstix has it all). And there was never ANY coffee. That's probably the best thing about weddings.

He missed the ceremony (college was _hard_, man and midterms pretty much killed his social life) but he sure as hell didn't miss the after-party. Or the hangover the next morning. But nonetheless, their wedding was _awesome_.

Everything was left on a happy, peaceful, cheery, slightly drunk note on that particular Friday. The Friday Mr. Schue totally got hitched Ms. Pillsbury and she didn't leave him at the alter.

So imagine his surprise when he walked into glee club after the weekend to find Sam singing a gloomy, slow and slightly creepy version of I Knew You Were Trouble probably because Brittany was gone, Brittany gone, Ryder MIA, Tina slamming her head into a wall out of agony because '_they suck harder than panda abortions and no, I didn't say panda because I'm Asian, you bunch of racist losers_' and Artie hollering about not feeling like losing, again.

Talk about dramatic.

He admits things got a little awkward when Terri Schuester (if that's even her _real_ name) turned out to be eating with her new boyfriend there just as Artie started his acapella rap rendition of Rihanna's song S&amp;M. Which would've probably been awkward still if she hadn't been there, but whatever.

But overall, he didn't think he'd arrive to find his friends—erm, _students_ so depressed. He needed help. Desperately.

Mr. Schue—_Will_—Will is away on his honeymoon with Emma, Santana decided to drive Brittany to campus, Kurt had his Serious Adult Stuff to deal with in New York and Mike had to go back to school before they withdrew his scholarship for leaving unannounced on multiple occasions for weeks at a time. Oops? He tried to skype Mercedes for some advice but she was busy planning a tour across almost every mall in America. He couldn't call Rachel because she had her Funny Girl thing and even his best friend refused to come to McKinley unless, and he quotes, 'there were topless cheerleaders and free beer'.

He was on his own. Like actually on his own. It was all adult-like and...scary.

His new motto: What Would Mr. Schue Do Or Actually Rachel Since He Thinks She Sometimes Pretty Much Single Handedly Managed Their Entire Glee Club? He's working on the catchy abbreviation.

Point one on his agenda? Nationals. They needed to kick serious ass.

And what was totally the best way to kick ass? Like, _serious_ ass? Good music. Not just good—_great_ music. Like Mr. Schue found Journey and it completely became their thing and they rocked it every time.

(They lost like 60% percent of the time anyway, but he likes those odds better than zero percent. Which is the percentage of how many times he's won Nationals as a coach.)

He looks around the room, clearing his throat to gain some attention, but no one is really listening besides Marley. He sends her a thankful smile as he straightens his to-do-list on top of the piano before sighing quietly. He thinks Kitty is actually painting her nails in the back, Jake is texting and is that... takeout Thai food Artie is eating?

He needed to find his Journey, and fast.

.

Scratch music.

Seeing Marley is the only one actually trying to participate during his classes, he realizes someone important is missing. Sure, Brittany was the only one who could actually make everyone enthusiastic about dancing for eight hours straight on a Saturday because she was literal sunshine but she's following her dreams and he can't be the one to stand in the way of that. Besides, Santana would scalp him.

(He loves his hair, he really does.)

It's not like he hadn't noticed the catfish drama, Tina spend like five hours talking about it, but he'd just figured it wasn't any of his business.

It still isn't, but they need Ryder. (And well, technically they still need twelve members to compete and he's a little low on those and Ryder would do.)

He corners him after football practice when he's wet from a shower, caught off guard and hopefully too tired to argue. So much is depending on this, he's actually kind of nervous.

Words were never really his thing. He used to get panic sweat if he had to speak directly to someone and look in their eyes.

"Ryder," he tries, putting his hand on his shoulder to gain his attention but earning a punch in the gut from the brown haired guy in response.

"Finn, I'm so sorry!" He calls out, taking out his earbuds which explains why he hadn't heard his calls. "It was a reflex, I used to take kickboxing to get rid of the extra energy I had—and you probably don't care."

His face is getting red and he can't really like breathe, but he tries to remain cool as he strangles out the following words: "First rule of glee club, don't punch your teacher." He thought the fight club reference was pretty neat, if he hadn't sounded like a dying cat saying it.

Ryder huffs lightly, a low chuckle in the back of his throat as he crosses his arms, "I thought it was not talking about it?"

Composing himself, by supporting his weight against a locker, he clears his throat.

"Well, actually…"

"Please don't break out into song."

"I won't, but can you?" Realizing that was kind of a weird question, he explains, "I mean, not like _right_ now, I really can't use an accusation of a teacher slash student relationship, but sometime soon. Preferably in the choir room? Everybody misses you."

Okay, so not everyone because Ryder pretty much left them for dead and was literally giving everyone the cold shoulder but Kitty _had_ stated she missed Ryder's breakdance skills completing every number that did not even ask for his spastic behaviour. Could've been sarcastic, but what the hell.

"I'm sure that's not true," Ryder swallows tightly, looking at his shoes before looking up apologetically, "Look, I'm really sorry, Finn, but I can't. I can't come back when so much has happened and I—I just can't."

He thinks about what would've gotten him to come back to Glee way back when. Man, he feels old. "Do you—do you love Glee club?"

Ryder shifts his eyes from left to right, thinking it over, "I do but—"

He cuts him off, "Then don't think about all the drama. If I had when I was in your shoes, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"Afraid of coffee?"

"No, achieving dreams I didn't know I had."

"Look, I'm sure you had your fair share of drama but she or he or I don't even know lied to me, for so long. _Everyone_ lied to me. They betrayed me."

"My girlfriend had a baby with my best friend and for like six months I thought it was mine. I sung to a sonogram. I broke-up with Rachel because I like didn't even know we were dating and she made me a cat calendar and then I wanted her back and she was dating the captain of our rival team. That was just a _summary_ of my first year in this club."

Ryder scans his face, trying to detect any lies but he couldn't lie for shit so he hoped it was pretty obvious he wasn't.

"Listen, there's always going to be drama about everything. It's glee club for God's sake," he offers, nodding to himself as he raises his eyebrows and reflects on his own experience first joining the club, "and it's probably the lamest thing ever, glee club, I used to think so, too but... I don't think you should let the drama keep you from doing something you love."

He holds up his hands in defense, sending him a small smile, "but hey, that's just my opinion. I can't force you to do anything."

Ryder looks hesitant and he knows that look, _he_ has that look himself, he totally does. It's his I'm About To Give In And So Conflicted About It face, not to be confused with his I Need To Poop face but pretty similar.

He pats him on the shoulder, something he'd learned in one of his classes. Subtle physical contact to show support. Suck on that everyone. He was a good student for once.

"Just, think about it, okay?"

It was taking everything in him not to turn around to look at the younger boy's expression on his face but he didn't want to come across as desperate. He was pretty much _very_ desperate but, he was also in extreme pain and turning his head around was not a privilege he could afford at the moment.

Can you break your liver? His liver feels broken.

And he nailed it because _score_, Ryder was back in the choir room the next day and he was hashtag winning.

The New Directions were back in action and better than ever. Okay, probably not 'better than ever' because to be fair they were missing some strong vocalists and they didn't have any music or any costumes or the will to go on or twelve members—but they were _trying_.

Almost halfway done with being better than ever. Same difference. Whatever.

.

His failed lesson about jazz (he went on spotify and picked a genre he thinks they hadn't done yet)—Tina threw tap shoes at him, Becky stormed into his office and broke a saxophone, Blaine tried to upstage him by claiming musical songs would be better and blah blah blah—put him to think about his Journey.

He needed to find a band everyone knew and liked, and with everyone he meant like _everyone_. From scary clown judges to old ladies in the audience to his mom to Sue Sylvester (just to be sure in case she changed her mind again and decided to hate them and become a jury member to try and sabotage them).

Then it hit him. Well, first Justin Bieber hit him but then he remembered he wasn't a band and they already did him way back when and he thinks it included wearing itchy clip-in bangs to school and he recalls that not everyone probably likes Bieber.

He doesn't even.

So he was back to square zero before he got like, what was the word again, _meteorically_ hit in the face with the greatest idea ever.

Finn's Best Idea Ever: ABBA. Everyone loves ABBA!

To be sure, though, and not ready to be slammed by Blaine Annoying-Son again, he calls Rachel. Just for confirmation. It's not like he misses her voice or anything.

(Plus, he called Puck first but when he mentioned not even the first two letters of the word 'glee' he hung up on him. What the hell was he doing the whole day at college without him anyway?)

"Hey Rach." He bites on the inside of his cheek as he lays down on his bed, staring at his ceiling.

"Hi."

"Thanks for calling, Finn," she says softly, almost shyly, and he imagines her playing with the end of one of her ridiculous animal sweaters. Then he remembers she doesn't wear those anymore. "I cried during most of the song but I did it."

Oh, shit. He completely forgot she had her callback. It's not like he doesn't care, because he does, so much, but he even forgot to put on pants this morning and if it hadn't been for Sam still vacating over at his place he would've left the house like that. The stress of school and this job is killing him.

"I'm really proud of you, Rach," he replies, putting his hand on his stomach to keep it from nervously tapping on his blanket, "Looks like you found your something special." He smiles to himself, and he doesn't know why, because he doesn't mean it. He feels like he's losing something but he doesn't know what.

"It's funny, because I've always said that, but the truth is, I am special. I guess sometimes I didn't believe in myself as much as others did," she hesitates before adding, "like _you_ did, and sometimes all you need is a little love to remind yourself of that."

His eyes light up as sits up in his bed, running a hand over his head. Screw ABBA, he knew what they needed.

She chuckles brightly and he misses her laugh most of all he thinks. She adds, referring to their conversation before her first callback, "Or a phone call."

"Thanks, Rach. Please text me if you hear anything," he says quickly, afraid the idea might disappear from his head if he doesn't act quick. It happens all the time, he swears. The words 'I love you' linger on his tongue—out of habit, he promises himself—before he manages to form them in a quick 'bye'.

He has a lesson to plan.

.

Beatles week is such a success, he turns it in a two week thing because he's awesome like that and he is trying really hard not to be a carbon copy of Mr. Schue (1. he kinda thinks these vests are itchy but make him seem super professional so he can't ditch them 2. he doesn't think he can rock the whole 'grow out your hair and get a perm' thing 3. he thinks emma is amazing but she sometimes creeps him out when she polishes her grapes for five minutes 4. he's already seen one 'pedo finn' drawing of a bear in the bathroom and it was a pain in th to scrub off 5. he's like, much taller).

He manages to form a couple (Kitty and Artie and apparently, ahem _Tina_, she isn't ashamed of him); help put together a flawless proposal (Blaine and Kurt, which kind of stings because wasn't everyone like totally against him and Rachel marrying and they were like meant to be. What? Keyword: _Were_); help lauch Tina's prom queen campaign and help Sam score a hot date to said event with some doctor lady that has really big needles.

This is in the first week alone. I mean, c'mon, he's a natural!

He skypes with Kurt (with some snarky comments on the background by the one and only Santana Lopez) that Saturday night and he tells him that Rachel was depressed about not hearing back from her callback. He promises himself to text her later.

In the second week things get a little rocky since some scary Santana personality-a-like cheerleader named after some type of funky french cheese decides to dump a HUGE slushie on Tina seconds after she's been crowned prom queen.

He swears he's having a déjà-vu because he's seen this before but he doesn't have time to ponder about it because Tina is covered in red goo and he feels really bad. Tina, his beautiful little asian friend really didn't deserve this. She deserved the crown, yes, but not this lame attempt at humiliating her into living across the country.

He's about to give her a pep-talk, following a trail of red goo to the choir room when she bursts out in tears and goes on and on about how she hoped this was her turn and he feels his heart breaking.

Sure, Tina was sometimes very annoying with her star demands after proclaiming herself team captain and she made it a habit to say everything in a snarky tone ever since becoming the oldest glee club member but she was his friend and he loved her, very much. She was a good person and he kind of felt like her sometimes. Like he would never be good enough.

But she _was_ good enough, and he was, everyone was and seeing them all come together like this to comfort her makes his heart swell with pride.

Before he has time to say anything Marley and Unique and even Kitty are offering Tina a clean, pretty dress and he feels like this doesn't exactly call for a song but hey, Blaine is going to do what he wants to do. Whatever. He's just happy Tina's smiling again and he's proud of his little glee club.

(He sends Rachel a video he filmed on his iPhone of _his_ kids singing Hey Jude and cheering on Tina and having fun and adds a little '_don't give up:)_'.

Later that night Kurt sends him a snapchat of him, thumbs up, and Santana, downing a glass of champagne and holding up her free arm like she just slamdunked a basketball in the last five seconds of the game, spelling out the words '_THANK u V much frankenteen_'. He assumes she came out of hiding and stopped playing Joni Mitchell on repeat 24/7.)

He takes a deep breath as he lays down on his bed that night. All the prom drama distracted him from the fact Sue _Suckvester_ had crowned herself intertem principal and she was acting all scarily nice. If he had learned one thing from late night Call of Duty sessions with his guys, it was to never let your enemy get too close.

She was up to _something_ and he could spot it from miles of stinky teenagers (seriously, anyone ever heard of a shower?), confused jocks and pregnant cheerios away.

.

Mr. Schuester returns the week after and he can't lie and say he isn't a little disappointed. He liked running the club by himself and having to come up with ideas and the dude always brings bad news, he's not even kidding.

Sandy Ryerson died. Apparently he smoked too much of his weed or something and jumped out of three story window. Surprisingly he only broke two toes but then he got some sort of heart attack because of bruising in his toes and imagine that, dying of a broken toe, that just _sucks_.

Now Sandy Ryerson wasn't like a close friend of his or anything, and he remembers him trying to molest some kid at school or something, but he is sorta the reason glee club started. So he is kind of depressed.

Almost everyone is back early for Spring Break (except Quinn, who is like his smartest friend (nobody tell Rachel this) and is staying behind at Yale to teach some orphan kids from Eurasia English, and Brittany, who isn't allowed to leave MIT unless she is like, dying and he thinks they like, enslaved her or something, he's surprised Santana hasn't scalped anyone yet) and of course he's happy that the rest is back but he's also still really down.

Some people take notice, like Kurt in the morning as he's pouring milk into his bowl BEFORE putting cereal in it because he's _that_ sad and Puck punches him when he tears up over a WNF commercial about pandas asking him what the hell is up, and he figures it's just time to call for a meeting.

It's time to do the one thing he's good at. Throwing an impromptu lesson together behind Mr. Schue's (err, Will's) back.

He welcomes (and thanks because he's the only one who has an actual non-creepy reason to be hanging around his old high school) his friends for coming to one of his glee club meetings, trying to block out the sound of Santana cursing out Kitty in Mexican because the blonde made a snarky comment about boobjobs.

"As many of you may know, I've been somewhat, _emotional_ lately," he starts, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"This again? Dude, I told you Jesus doesn't like guys above 6'3 who wear puffy vests on a regular—"

"Puck, shut up," he hisses, he clears his throat, "I'm so sorry to announce you all Mr. Ryerson passed away last week."

"Who?" Santana tilts her head, eyebrows furrowed and Sam nods in agreement, "Isn't that that dude who almost raped Rach?" it's Puck, "Does this mean we're going to be singing depressing sap songs a week before spring break?" groans Ryder, and Rachel, appalled, at the same time as the others, "I told you to never call him by his name out loud!"

"ANYWAY," Finn continues, but not before glaring at all of them, "There wouldn't have been a glee club without him and I think we should celebrate his life, and whoever _wants_ can sing a depressing sappy song about it. But remember it doesn't have to be specifically for Mr. Ryerson, it can be about anyone we've lost along the way."

"I have something prepared," Kurt raises his hand because Kurt lives for sad musical songs and Santana leans down to slap it away, "You shut your mouth, Fairy, don't encourage this kind of behaviour."

"Pavarotti died two years ago, Kurt, let it go," Blaine reminds him, sweetly squeezing his shoulder before Kurt huffs and shrugs it off.

"This seems like fun," Tina remarks bitterly, arms crossed over her chest and he rolls his eyes.

Marley tries to speak up, "Finn, I, uhm," but everyone talks over her like always so he walks over to her a little closer and she smiles, timidly. "Uhm, I, think it's really nice of you to do this, even though I didn't know him or anything besides from that one time when he tried to sell me drugs, I'd like to maybe, do a song, if you're okay with that?"

He pulls her up to the front, offers her the stage and cuts off an about to protest Santana by sitting down next to her and literally covering her mouth until she finally laughs and cracks a smile, agreeing to shut up with an 'okay, okay..' and holding her hands up in defense.

"Brad, take it away!" He motions over to the guy who always seems to be around as he nods at Marley, who nods before opening her mouth,

"_I've heard there was a secret chord, that David played, and it pleased the Lord,_

_but you don't really care for music, do you?"_

...opening her mouth and letting a little piece of heaven pour out that the Gods handcrafted personally.

Okay, soooo, Marley is totally his favorite. Hallelujah. Ha. Nice pun. Kind of. Whatever.

It's nice, he thinks, to see everyone so touched by Marley and of course, the memory of Sandy Ryerson, even if Kitty does interrupt her halfway through the song to mention "the only thing Marley Sue over here as ever lost is weight" only to break out into a rendition of Pink's So What, which is a little morbid but hey, at least she is participating. Progress.

"I'd like to point out both of those songs had absolutely nothing to do with death, so thanks for this complete and utter waste of time," Santana claps proudly and he just smiles at her, because he knows that's what she hates most.

Later he finds Puck in the locker room, staring at his old locker from his position on one of the wooden benches.

"Hey dude, what are you doing?"

"It's just, screwed up," he sighs, running a hand over his face and Finn swallows.

"What is?" He's pretty sure Puck isn't talking about his locker, at least he thinks he isn't? Who knows.

"I mean, I always said I wasn't going to be my dad. I wasn't going to be the guy that hangs around his old high school like a creep and asks his friends for countless favors without ever returning any and is a complete waste of space, a nobody. I wasn't going to be _that_ guy."

"You're not," Finn tries, clapping him on the shoulder softly as they both stare at his old locker. Wow, he is so good at his job. He's totally made everyone reevaluate their lives.

"How is coming back here every other week and crashing in_ your _dorm room after not even being able to keep a job for a month in LA any better than that? It's only a matter of time before I become an alcoholic or start stealing purses from old ladies on the street."

"I'm pretty sure you already stole purses from old ladies back in high school," he offers, "They weren't all old and slow, either. Remember that black eye that one lady gave you? Ouch."

"Ha-ha," Puck shoves him and Finn laughs in response, as Puck shakes his head, his smile fading slightly. "It kind of sucks to see you all doing something, and I'm just, _there_, you know?"

"I still feel like that sometimes, too, like I'm this huge imposter and that they're going to find out I'm a fraud any time now and fire and expel me for life," he pauses, picking on the seam of his pants in thoughts, "You'll find something to fake being good at until you're actually good at it, too."

"What if being a pool boy was all there was for me out there?"

"It wasn't, and it isn't. I know you, bro, you're way better than that," he tries and he wishes Quinn was here to kiss him and give him courage and make him better because what does he even know. He licks his lips, excitedly adding, "Finding out what you _don't_ want to be is just as important as figuring out what you do want to be."

"Okay, thanks, Gandhi. Jesus, I leave you alone in this place for like three weeks and you turn into freakin' miss Doubtfire."

He finds one of the pamphlets he borrowed (okay, stole, whatever) from Emma's office stuffed away under Puck's bed as he waits for him to get out of the shower, later that week, and smiles to himself when he sees one of them reflect the light on his nightstand.

Puck and the air force. Totally badass.

Sam and Artie duet some song about some guy from Avatar sacrificing himself because, "I didn't come here until after all that weird stuff went down between y'all, like Quinn birthing an actual human being and Tina making up a speech impairment, which is by the way, so rude, and _apparently_ a druglord running this club, so I had to draw inspiration from something else."

Mercedes does a song he sang to that sonogram picture of what he thought was his fetus Drizzle in Quinn's stomach so he doesn't mention they already technically did this song and this glee club has the weird rule that they only do everything once, because to be fair, she doesn't know. Only his mom does, and he'd like to keep it that way because he cried like a bitch baby.

Mike dedicates his song to Matt and he doesn't really remember the dude, but whatever floats his boats, Jake and Puck join together with an upbeat, acoustic version of Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone (he spell checked online before writing it down on the 'never to be sung again in this room by any given current or past member of the glee club' list) for their father and Tina and Ryder perform the cup song because there's just something about the line "you're gonna miss me when I'm gone" that doesn't _totally_ make this whole lesson about them. Something tells him it was Tina's idea.

He cuts off Blaine before he is able to do a rendition of "It's so hard to say goodbye", because now that's just plain rude. The audacity. Sandy hated boys 2 men.

Santana comes over to his house after he proposes they sing together. She agreed after a thirty minute long rant on why she hated him and a promise he would stalk Britt for her because she didn't want to seem like the desperate girlfriend.

She suggests they sing about him losing his virginity to her and he decides to take a shot every time she insults him with her in return taking one everytime he suggests a song about their exes, so it's safe to say they're both drunk after a record time of 45 minutes.

They wake up an hour later than they're supposed to, him on the his chair, head resting on his desk, and her half in his bed, half on the floor—Santana wearing his letterman jacket ("i'm finn and i like to sing about, like, uhh, my feelings and wear shirts with stripes and i like small dwarf butts"), him with his hands stuffed into her heels ("your hands are so huge, they're like a giant's, oh my god, your hands are totally bigger than my feet"), vaguely remembering a conversation about chocolate cake and poop before he drunkenly confessed she wasn't a bad person and she told him, crying, by the way, he remembers a lot of tears, he wasn't a much better person, just a little—both with raging headaches.

They both sing with sunglasses on (which does _not_ help the headaches at all), him with a stiff neck, both halfassing a song Santana picked twenty minutes before class and they get cut off by Santana barfing into a trashcan. It was a success. They should duet more often.

Rachel, of course, finishes the lesson with Kurt with some Adele song and he loves his brother, but when Rachel sings, he just.. He just feels stuff so much more intensely, you know?

He remembers them singing this song in the car, way back when they first started dating and it feel like a lifetime ago, but in a good way. He feels like he's grown so much and she has, too and he just knows that, one day they'll grow back together again.

She looks at him, eyes piercing right into his soul, tears in her eyes, because he knows she can't not cry during songs like these, _"Nothing that I wouldn't do, go to the ends of the earth for you to make you feel my love."_ Like he can't not love her.

He feels Puck and Santana exchange a skeptical look as she whispers "wanky" into his direction and he just rolls his eyes.

They finish their song and he holds a quick speech about being proud and happy and feeling much better and blah blah, the usual cheesy Schue stuff.

His first depressing glee club lesson was a Capital W, Win.

(Okay, Will scolds him for continuously changing the glee meetings from room to room and hour to hour and only sending him the memo's_ after_ they've taken place because apparently the no internet connection excuse doesn't really work when you e-mail the person about said excuse. But all in all, he'd say it was a total baller.)

He knows his friends are leaving again soon after the break (hopefully Will too because he loves him but he is seriously killing his vibe with all these Journey suggestions and over the top dance routines) and being alone is never not scary and he still has to find two random band members and something to bribe them with to join glee club for two weeks and he's dying of stress, but deep down he knows he can do this.

.


End file.
